Improvement in flour-bolts



S. HEFLEBOW ER,

Flour Bolt.

Patented July 11,"1865 wif-11e aiss; v @,Jme

MV1. ff/web NA PETERS. P'hmumagnpmr. wuhingmn. D. C.

UNITED STA-TES PATENT erica.

SAMUEL HEFLEBOVVER, OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLOUR-BOLTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 48,681, dated July ll, 1865.

To all whom it may concer/a:

Be :it known that I, SAMUEL HEFLEBOWER, of the city and county of Alexandria, and State of Virginia, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Flour-Bolts; and `I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the nature, construction, and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this Specification, in which- Figure l represents a longitudinal Vertical section, and Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line 0c w, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion ofthe fan and boltin gsurface.

Simllar letters in each ligure refer to like parts.

My invention principally consists of af suction-fan or a setof wings placed at the tail end of a bolt upon the fan or frame which revolves inside of the casing, to which the bolting-cloth is attached. These wings, fans, orv projections e extend outwardly beyond the periphery of the fans, which revolve in immediate proximity to the bolting-cloth, so asto cause an outward or centrifugal blast and a motion of air through the bolt toward the tail end, and assist in the removal of thecontents of the bolt, thus preventing clogging. There are some other points which will be apparent as the description is more fully made out.

To enable one skilled in the branch of industry to which my invention belongs to fully understand and use the same, I will describe it in detail.

A is a frame, in which are secured two inclosed chambers, B O, which constitute what I term a separator and a bolt,7 respectively. Each ot' these is furnished with a shaft, D, on which are wings E E', the under ends of which, or some of which wings, are curved, so as to dip up the material exposed to their act-ion. The shafts are driven by a belt, F, and the fans revolve within cylindrical spaces bounded by wirecloth or bolting-cloth, the annular space around the cloth of chamber (l being divided by partitions G, so that the various qualities passing through the meshes, which decrease in ueness from the head to the tail of the bolt, are separated, and by means of the conveyer H are discharged from the orifices I.

At the tail end ofthe bolt the wings E are prolonged radially, e, and occupy the last of the spaces in that direction, the effect of which is to constitute them blowers, giving a determination of the air within the bolt toward that end and feeding the material along', so as to assist in preventing choking. Some air will come into the machine with the meal. More is admitted as may be necessary by opening the shutters J at the head end of the bolt. The red arrows will indicate the course of the meal, which enters at theopening K, passing into the separator or upper portion of the apparatus, which is used for removing all large or foreign matter which may pass from the meal-spoutsuch as don gh-balls, bu gs, &c.before the meal passes to the bolt proper, where the llour is removed from the remaining offal. The separation of the above matters in this primary process very much facilitates the work, and also preserves the bolting-cloth from injury which may arise from foreign matters or from the depredations of the bugs, as well as from being clogged up by the contact with the doughballs, which are occasionally aggregated in the meal inside of the hoop and sprout. The eX- traneous matter or accumulations are discharged at the opening L and received in any suitable manner, while the meal passes by the chute M to the bolt proper, where it is separated into the various grades, from line our to coarse offal, having by the means already adverted to a determinate inclination toward the tail of the bolt by means of the current of airin that direction. The air will-some of it come down with the meal; but beyond this amount the quantity may be gaged by means of the shutters at thehead end of the bolt, according to the state ofthe gra-in, the Weather, or other circumstances which Will retard or expeditethepassageofthemealandoffal. Such portions of the meal as fall to the lower surface of the bolt are caught upon a plate, N, Fig. 3, which is placed in immediate proximity to the bolting-cloth, and serves to prevent the injury of said cloth by the Scrapers on the wings as they elevate the meal which may have settled to the bottom.

The bolting-cloth with which the frame is lined is of different degrees of neness, as is usual, the flue grade being at the point at which the meal is rst introduced, and gradually becoming` coarser toward the tail ot' the bolt. Thisistheordinaryplan,andnotpeculiar to my invention.

By using the apparatus which I am describing, the object of which is to facilitate the operation of bolting, I am able, in'place of the boltin g-cloth of fabric, to use a wire-cloth,which has heretofore been d ifticultofaceomplishment, from the tendency of the flour to-hang upon the meshes of the cloth. As a remedy for this, brushes are extensively used; but I aim in this improvement to render them unnecessary, as

by the blast I introduce, in connection with the revolving fan and litters, the Whole circumference ot' the bolting-cloth is used, and the flour and ner oli'al blown through their appropriate cloths.

I am aware that a blast of air has been introduced into the interior of bolts before my application, and I make no claim to introducing a blast of air; but the gist of' this part of my invention consists in the manner in which I induce and regulate the current ot air to prevent the lodging ofthe contents of the bolt, and compel them, after having been successively exhibited to each of the grades ot' cloth which are employed to separate the respective qualities of tlourand offal, to find their Way to the tail of the bolt, when the remainder, which is too coarse to pass through the meshes, is discharged at the end. r)This remainder may be the bran, or bran mixed with another grade of oft'al, as desired, which will depend upon the neness ofthe cloth, and this is a question of convenience, and will depend upon the requirements of the market or convenience of customers, vor other matters which I need not attempt to anticipate.

The separator above may be made, in addition to the removal of extraneous matters, to separate the bran as Well, leaving only the iner offal to pass with the flour to the bolt. This is a question of adjustment which may be arranged to suit the convenience.

The'wings may be made spiral, instead of' having the form represented, if so required.

The above-described apparatus, or either section of it, the meshes of the surrounding cloth being suitably proportioned, may be used as a bran-(luster.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure'by Letters Patent, is

l. Making a radial prolongation, e, to the wings of the fan at the tail end of the horizontal or nearly horizontal bolt, the said radial extension of the Wing or Wings beyond the pe riphery of the main portion of the fan being adapted to cause a current of air to be drawn through the bolt, in the manner and for the purpose described.

2. The plate N, Fig. 3, in combination With the scoop-shaped dippers.

To the above specication ot'-n1yimprove= ments in' flour-bolts I have signed my hand this 15th day of March, 1865.

SAML. HEFLEBOWER.

Witnesses:

EDWARD H. KNIGHT, JOHN G. GooKsoN. 

